Biden helps bid Takai sweet aloha

During his term in D.C., Congressman Mark Takai liked bringing Hawaiian style to warm up the cold halls of Capitol Hill. He would have appreciated the sweetness of his lei-bedecked colleagues gathered for a final farewell.

Guests at Wednesday’s memorial service wore the floral touches in his honor, and nobody could miss the resonance of Vice President Joe Biden’s condolences.

The late U.S. representative died July 20 of pancreatic cancer, at age 49. The vice president is mourning the loss of his own son, Beau Biden, who succumbed to brain cancer after a two-year battle; he was 46.

So in Biden’s promise to the family members that the day would come when they could smile at Takai’s memory, there was the voice of experience. Aloha, too.

Scully finally calling it a day

Some people might not know who Vin Scully is, but most baseball fans certainly do, and for most of them the remaining two weeks of regular season baseball will be bittersweet.

That’s because Scully’s been the announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers for longer than many of us have been alive (67 years), with a unique, down-home style that is truly endearing. And now, the 88-year-old is just weeks away from finally retiring, on Oct. 2 when the Dodgers play their ancient nemesis from when both teams were still in the New York area: the San Francisco Giants.

If the Dodgers make it to the playoffs, good for them — but Scully won’t be there to tell us all about it.